The next week was a dizzying blur for Lark.

She, Josh, Conan, and Shamira were almost always together. If they weren’t in lessons, they were training. If not training, they were attempting to get Snowy to obey commands. And every spare minute they had, they were huddled together researching or pooling their knowledge. They hadn’t managed to figure out why Avi chose Lark in the first place, but it was now clear the Wysteria Unit that traveled to Earth the day Alex and Sterling died were ambushed by a heavily armed group led by Casimer.

The Wysteria Unit wasn’t prepared for a full-on battle, just a reconnaissance trip. They took heavy damages and had to retreat home. Not many details were in the after-action report, but it did state there was a group of Earth natives that got caught in the crossfire. No survivors.

When Lark read that, she nearly fried the tablet by accident.

There still wasn’t concrete evidence Alex and Sterling were there, but Lark was having a hard time not assuming Avi, and even Harold, was responsible.

It made their meetings awkward, but Josh reminded her they would get nowhere by shutting them out completely. Ironically, Avi and Harold seemed pleased their little group was growing so close.

If they only knew it was at their expense.

But right now, all that was pushed to the back of Lark’s mind. She was in the middle of the dreaded press conference. Due to her constantly voiced fear of fainting in front of the cameras, a table and chairs were set up on the stage, where Lark and Avi currently sat side by side.

The audience was packed in–some with tablets, a couple with notebooks. Cameras were now palm-sized half-orbs, and instead of a long lens, there was a small hole. It then scanned whatever it was pointed toward and sent a live feed straight to projected or hologram televisions.

The only relief to the whitewashed walls was the huge, colored Kynaston family crest hanging behind them.

When Lark had appeared with Snowy in her arms, there had been a huge buzz in the room. They hadn’t acted scared, which she thought would have made sense; because hey, there was a tiger cub in the room! They didn’t even seem overwhelmed by her cuteness, which Lark found weird; because hey, there was a tiger cub in the room! They seemed more in awe of both Snowy and Lark.

The tiger did make for a great opening topic, helping the press conference start smoothly.

Snowy had grown nearly a foot in the last couple of weeks, beginning to outgrow Lark’s shoulders. Sadly though, she was still too small to block Lark from all the curious eyes boring into her.

“How does it feel being adopted by the most powerful king on our planet?” a reporter called from the back of the room.

Here it is. I have to decide.

She could feel Avi tense beside her. She was sure the Cynbels and Shamira were doing the same. She hadn’t actually said out loud she would accept the adoption. Technically, if she renounced the royal family, that might be grounds for taking Snowy away. Lark dared anyone to try. But in the end, she chose the smoothest path for her brothers. If–when–the rescue was successful, their future would be set if they were part of the most beloved and influential family of the country.

A new life, a new beginning. I am now Larkspur Bei Kynaston.

Lark took a deep breath, trying to settle the tornado of butterflies having a kung fu tournament in her stomach.

Don’t faint!

“It was...a bit of a shock when I heard I was chosen as heir.” She hoped her smile wasn’t too tense. “I am excited to be here,” she said truthfully. “And I hope to build upon the Kynaston legacy.”

Avi sighed with relief so softly that only Lark could hear it.

“We were all sorry to hear about the princes,” someone yelled, shoving their camera and mic forward to catch everything. “Do you wish they were here?” This joker was obviously just trying to get a dramatic reaction. Apparently, that hadn’t changed in two thousand years.

The tension in the room grew thick. Questions about her brothers weren’t supposed to be asked today. She figured this reporter would be canned. Perhaps even the entire news outlet they worked for. Wysteria Corps members were already surging forward to escort him out. But since they were broadcasting live, she couldn’t just ignore it.

It might actually be a good opportunity to lay some groundwork for her brothers’ arrival.

“The disappearance of my brothers haunts me every day.” Lark stared straight at the troublesome reporter, who couldn’t seem to keep eye contact. “But since their bodies were never recovered, I still hope to find them one day.”

A buzz filled the room. Lark caught sight of Josh against the back wall, frantically motioning for them to stop. Shamira, next to him, pointed to her eyes.

Oh no. Are my eyes glowing again?

She just had time to see Josh and Shamira head toward the door before Harold stepped in front of their table.

“No more questions,” he said. “You will have your chance to speak with the royal family again in the coming weeks.”

Harold and Conan escorted Avi and Lark out the back door.

Avi turned to Lark when they were away from the prying eyes of the press. “Lark, are you wanting to try to rescue Alex and Sterling?”

Her eyes flashed at him, but he wasn’t sure with what emotion. “Is there some reason I shouldn’t try?”

Perhaps accusatory?

“I’m not sure the past can be changed,” Avi said warily. “Or what the consequences would be if it can.”

Not to mention the prophecy…

“What good are all my powers and this technology at my fingertips if I can’t use them for the most important people in the world to me?” she asked.

“I don’t want you to get hurt if we can’t save them,” Avi said softly. He hoped upon hope Lark would believe the truth in that statement, but she still looked skeptical. “All right,” Avi sighed, realizing she would probably do it behind his back anyway. It wasn’t just guilt that prompted his decision.

Maybe the warning won’t come to pass if I help.

“Lark!” Shamira and Josh called as they ran down the hallway toward them.

“Your majesty.” Shamira gave Avi a respectful bow.

“Shamira.” Avi acknowledged her with a nod. “You are joining the celebratory dinner tonight, right?”

Shamira grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it, your majesty.”

“Good.” Realizing the friends wanted to talk together, Avi motioned for Harold and the accompanying Wysteria Corps members to walk ahead with him. “We’ll see you at the private dining room in a bit then. Well done, my dear, on a successful introduction to society.”

“I thought we were keeping the rescue mission a secret!” Josh hissed at Lark.

“I’m sorry.” Lark felt like hitting her head against the wall. “At the time, it seemed like a good idea so their appearance wouldn’t be so sudden.”

“Well, it was quite the press conference.” Conan didn’t sound entertained.

“Who knows how many people are going to try to weasel their way in here as your brothers?” Josh complained.

Lark winced. She hadn’t thought about that.

“At least your eyes didn’t glow too much.” Shamira tried to cheer her up. “Josh saw it early enough to alert the commander general. And hey, you didn’t faint!”

“True.” Lark laughed. “Thank you, Josh.”

He just grumbled.

“Come on, I’m hungry!” Conan herded them down the hallway. “Dinner is waiting.”

“I don’t have a working prototype yet,” Albert Renat admitted to Casimer. “But I think I’m close,” he added quickly.

“Close is not good enough!” Casimer glared at his chief scientist. “I’ve already lost Franklin. The only thing our allies agreed as a replacement for him was working time travel. I don’t deliver time travel, I don’t get an army. Figure it out!”

Albert’s glassy eyes dimmed as he rubbed his temples. “It’s getting difficult to concentrate. I just need a little more time.”

“You’re running out of it,” Casimer snarled.

This fool was becoming less useful by the day! When Albert first came from the capital, he perfected the camouflage cloak and learned how to piggyback on time travel trips through a stolen Wysteria bracelet. But with each passing month, Albert seemed to be getting stupider. Well, maybe more confused than stupid. He was always moaning about his aching head. Four years later, and he still couldn’t instigate time travel!

“Figure it out,” Casimer ordered, “before I figure out how to replace you.”